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There’s definitely been moments where I wished I could be in two places at the same time,” says Brandon Creed, reflecting on a year filled with culture-defining moments across his company’s roster. He’s gotten close — in early March, he had to be on separate coasts within 48 hours.
On March 8, Ariana Grande released her critically praised seventh album, Eternal Sunshine. On March 9, she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in New York — Creed was there. On March 10, Grande presented an Oscar at the 96th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where client Mark Ronson was also performing in the night’s biggest spectacle: a star-studded live debut of Ryan Gosling’s Barbie song “I’m Just Ken” — Creed was there, too.
“It was definitely a tiring weekend,” says Creed, 47. “Thankfully, I think my relationship with all my artists is such that we have a great team so they’re always supported wherever they are.”
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His Good World team is a tight-knit group of savvy managers — including Dani Russin and Tyler Reymore, both of whom have been by his side for over a decade, along with Anika Capozza, Chris Pepe and Emma Anderson (among others). In 2023, when Creed left his position at Full Stop, the superstar management firm his own Creed Company merged with in 2017, his crew followed. After six years, Creed craved the kind of company he had launched his management career with when he had founded Creed Company in 2010 and set out to create the newer, more matured version of exactly that.
In August 2023, Creed established Good World Management with a high-profile roster including Charli xcx (co-managed with Sam Pringle and Twiggy Rowley), Troye Sivan, Ronson and Tame Impala (co-managed with Jodie Regan). His first new signing was Demi Lovato, followed by Grande.
“I was excited by the challenge of it, honestly,” he says of launching a new venture. “Creed Company was born out of [necessity] — I was an executive at a record company and started managing on the side.” With Good World, Creed has much more experience, but the same drive. “We’re trying to keep it familial and small and build accordingly, based on what we need.”
Creed got his start in the industry as music executive Tom Corson’s assistant before becoming one of the first employees of Clive Davis’ J Records, which he describes as “like going to grad school.” From there, he says, “management found me” when he met Bruno Mars and his writing partner, Philip Lawrence. “I watched Clive launch Alicia Keys and position superstars,” Creed says. “What he did and what he looked for, I took it and applied it as best I could.”
Since its beginning, Good World has celebrated one industry-rattling moment after another, from Charli graduating to arena headliner with her and Sivan’s in-demand Sweat Tour to Grande conquering new territory with Wicked. Such year-defining victories have helped Creed and Good World earn Billboard’s first Manager of the Year honor. Here, he and his team reflect on what Creed calls “the longest fastest year.”
Joel Barhamand
When you think back to launching Good World, what stands out?
Brandon Creed: We were in the midst of Barbie summer with Mark, and that was an amazing experience. And Troye had just [released the single] “Rush.”
Dani Russin: It was a show-must-go-on sort of thing. We didn’t have the luxury of pausing. We were grateful that essentially our whole roster came with us, so we just had to keep working. This was a really welcomed exclamation point on the summer.
Anika Capozza: We’ve always been really small and mighty, so when we moved over here, it was all hands on deck on every level. Like, “What snacks are we getting?” Things that you don’t think about at a big company when you walk in and everything is all set up. But it made it fun.
Tyler Reymore: Coming back into a house and it feeling so warm and cozy and down to earth, you take a big breath. That was what Creed Company was years ago.
Russin: In a lot of ways, it feels like we were getting back to how we started.
Dani, you’ve worked with Brandon the longest, since 2009. What drew you to his management style?
Russin: Brandon is very keen. He can read people, he’s a great decision-maker, and he has a very diplomatic management style. In this office, and in every office we’ve worked in, it’s definitely like good ideas can come from anywhere. We’ve always fostered an environment where we promote within. And we don’t really have ranks, but to the extent that we do, it’s been somebody that’s interned with us.
Chris Pepe: I’d actually left management for a bit and was the one person who didn’t come along, and I always looked from afar like, “If I were to ever get back into management, this is the team I’d want to be on.” There’s a lot of trust here.
Capozza: I started as a receptionist and then was an assistant and then a manager, and I’ve really been with Brandon my entire career in the music industry. What drew me the most is it didn’t feel like there was ever a ceiling for any of us. He allows us the ability to grow and take charge and be assertive and have a presence in the room.
Emma Anderson: I started as his assistant and always felt like he trusted me, so that gave me confidence. When we were leaving Full Stop, a lot of my friends were like, “This is a huge risk.” And I was like, “Not really.” I never have felt like I’ve been put in a box here.
Reymore: Brandon has always exuded such a quiet confidence, and it’s something I’ve always admired. When I first started working with him at Creed Company, he was in the living room with the other managers. It makes you want to work harder for someone who really values and sees you peer to peer.
You named the company Good World. What’s a moment this year where, commercial success aside, you felt the positive impact?
All: Sweat.
Creed: It was a scary proposition at first because it’s two of our artists; if it doesn’t go right, that’s high stakes. But they have so much respect for each other, they wanted to build and create something really unique. They dove in and did that.
Russin: Brandon had the idea for Sweat, and it was definitely like, “Avengers, assemble…”
Creed: With some resistance. It took us a while…
Russin: Listen, you said it, not me.
Where was the resistance coming from?
Creed: It was an idea over the last few years [that] just never lined up. And then when we were planning Troye’s tour and talking about Charli’s, we pitched it and…
Russin: It was now or never.
Creed: And there was a lot of blind faith. Each artist questioned whether it was the right thing for them to do in this moment, and rightfully so. We had to move some things and plotted it out and gave the tour time to sell and then everything kicked in with Brat Summer, and it really took off.
Russin: And then how that impacted in the real world, when we would go to these shows and watch [our] friends, their friends, the wider industry enjoy themselves…
Pepe: I remember that video you sent in our group chat. The lights were on after the show ended and the energy on the floor of the crowd beaming, dancing, still having a party. It was one of those “Oh, this is why we do this” moments.
Creed: That’s another thread, and it might be corny, but there is so much positivity and light, especially now when we really need it. It’s an honor to help get that into the world. I mean, Mark on the Oscars. I remember Steven Spielberg walking into the room after and he was like, “I’ve never seen anything like that on this stage.”
How has it felt to watch Charli enjoy her biggest year?
Creed: We’ve been working with Charli since 2018. I remember going to see her at a rave in London and it was like a smack in the face. It was coming off the Pop 2 era, and then we went right into the Charli phase. But to see her grow, it’s so gratifying — and slightly vindicating, just because we knew it. To see the world jump in on this has been a career highlight for me because she deserves it, and to be doing it so unapologetically is just incredible.
Ariana Grande also had a major 2024. When you start working with an artist who is already a superstar, how do you find your rhythm?
Creed: We definitely hold and make space for that. We’re not [a company that’s] going to come in and be like, “This is how we do it,” and change everything. Right before [signing Grande] we had just signed Demi [Lovato], another huge artist that has been around for a long time with a lot of success. It’s really turning on the empath and figuring out how they work and how you fit in and just watching and learning. And Ariana had an existing team around her: Justin Adams, Ray Rock and Grace Segundo. I just fit myself in there and took cues from her and them and we got into a rhythm, but it takes a minute.
Will Good World sign more talent?
Creed: We are extremely discerning with any artists at this stage. We have room, don’t get me wrong, for the right thing, and we would build accordingly. I think the developing-artist space is extremely challenging right now, especially for managers. Especially for a young manager, it’s hard to make money. So our focus is definitely on the more established artists and ones that have built an audience. But, you know, there are no rules.
Would you sign actors to the roster?
Creed: I would absolutely be interested in that. It’s about the person. It’s about being inspired by what they want to do. What we love is all of our artists want to do more than be an artist. Most of them act; Mark is scoring soundtracks and writing a book. [Ariana] got a Golden Globe nomination. That [was] amazing to see her get recognized. Troye and Demi have their own acting credits. I do particularly love the film and TV space. Charli’s pursuing that with a lot of success right now. That is exciting and inspiring to me, getting to be in all these different scenarios.
How do you prepare an artist, and yourselves, for their biggest year?
Russin: We have an extreme amount of patience when it comes to not skipping steps and [having the] “This could take 10 years” conversation. We’re prepared for that. And I don’t know that we feel that there’s as much gratification in the instant moment. We really try to set things up so that we’re building the road to get there along the way. So when it comes, they’ve done their 10,000 hours — as have we.
What challenges do managers face today?
Creed: It’s really hard for young managers. Artists are looking around at what others have and what others are doing, and they’re under a tremendous amount of pressure themselves. So when they feel that, they put the pressure on their person that’s right there — and that’s their manager. So I do think malleability is important and understanding how to shape teams around each artist and support them. And [more] humility and less ego is important.
Pepe: I work across Demi and she’s working on her album right now, and a key thing of our process has been allowing her to take that time that she needed and even encouraging it, because she is used to an industry that wants more and more and more. Encouraging that patience and investment in art, that has been honored this year in a big way after the pendulum swing of TikTok short form.
Creed: Impatience is a real challenge. One of our biggest challenges as well is the toxicity of fandom now. I feel like half the time we are being told how to do our jobs by [social media], and that is an exercise of our patience because our artists are also seeing it — not saying they react to it, but it’s a challenge across the board.
Russin: The sense of ownership over an artist’s body, their being…
Creed: Their decisions… Look, we are grateful for the fans; that’s why we’re all here. But there are boundaries that I think get broken quite often.
What would you tell someone wanting to enter artist management?
Russin: The barrier of entry is actually quite fuzzy. If you want to be a manager, you manage somebody. I’m not saying you’re a good manager… It’s a lot of head down, fly on the wall, behind the scenes, unglamorous, ungratifying work at first. If you don’t have a desire to be of service, this is probably not the area for you.
Reymore: As long as you are focusing on supporting artists and music that you care so deeply about, that’s going to make the late nights and the weekends feel like joy.
Pepe: [Get] as much hands-on experience as you can, even if it’s an artist that is local to your community, especially if you’re talking about someone in high school or college who’s wanting to do this. I didn’t have any connections. I started by working at CAA, and that led me to meeting managers, and that led me to my first management job. Our mindsets these days are quick payoffs. But it’s a lot like, “What are the first things you can do to get to where you want to be?”
Capozza: It’s the same philosophy we use for artists, I’m realizing: not skipping steps.
Creed: I was an intern, I was an assistant. I say this to every intern that comes here: Cultivate relationships with your peers because that’s who you’re going to grow up in the business with. They’re the ones that will be head of the label one day or whatever direction the person goes.
Russin: The assistant mafia… Don’t burn bridges, because everyone sticks around.
Creed: It is real, and you don’t think that when you’re trying to get into the business. You think you got to get to the top man or woman, but it’s really the support group that is going to let you enter — or you find a genius artist and grab on.
Capozza: I remember you saying that when I started: Don’t look up. Look around you.
Looking ahead, what goals do you have for yourself and the company?
Creed: Ariana’s [year] is pretty mapped out. We know where she is going to be and what she’s going to be doing for the majority of the year. Same with Charli; Brat Summer, Fall, Winter is going to continue. Troye is going to be in a creative year, hopefully making his next record. We’re in the planning stages for Tame Impala. Demi hopefully will be starting her next era midway through the year. Mark’s going to hopefully kick off a new artist era; hopefully the book he’s been writing will come out. Nothing is planned, but everyone’s going to be busy. And then we’ll map out 2026… The goal is to continue doing what we’re doing. I’ve been really fortunate to have a breadth of experiences over the years with such incredible artists and artistry and moments in time — that makes it fun. And there’s been times where it hasn’t been fun and I’m like, “Maybe I need to do something else.” And then something clicks and I get reengaged, and that’s what’s happened this year.
This story appears in the Jan. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith is the latest musician to share that they’ve lost a home in the Los Angeles wildfires. The longtime heavy metal veteran’s wife, Natalie Dufresne-Smith, announced the news in an Instagram post over the weekend, writing, “We are safe. We have each other. We will start again. #malibustrong.”
She added a thank you to everyone supporting the family during these difficult times.
Last week, Dufresne-Smith posted footage of smoke billowing over the hills in an update telling her followers that the their family was safe at that point, though at the time she was not sure if their neighborhood would make it. She also posted a clip of the Smiths packing up their house as she narrated the harried flight from the smoke a fire. “Here we are, it’s pretty nasty, the closest we’ve been [to the fires],” she narrated as the longtime Iron Maiden guitarist did a final look around at the property and checked on a neighbor.
According to CNN, at least 24 people have died to date, with many more missing and nearly 200,000 Angelenos under evacuation orders as experts expect the deadly Santa Anna winds to whip up again this week, threatening further fire spread. Two of the larger fires, the Eaton and Palisades blazes, are already the second and fourth-most destructive fires in California history, burning a combined 38,000-plus acres to date; the Eaton fire is currently only 27% contained, with the Palisades Fire around 13% containment.
Smith’s post came around the same time that Primus bassist/singer Les Claypool revealed that his band’s guitarist, Larry “Ler” LaLonde and his family had lost their home in Pacific Palisades, a historic L.A. neighborhood that has been all-but-destroyed by the Palisades fire. Among the thousands of Angelenos whose homes have been burned to the ground by the fires are a number of musicians and entertainment industry veterans, including Mandy Moore (and her husband, Dawes leader Taylor Goldsmith), Paris Hilton, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, Jhené Aiko, Paris Hilton, songwriter Diane Warren and The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag and many more.
In addition, Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan said his family had to flee the home they were staying in in Los Angeles.
On Monday (Jan. 13), Beyonce’s Beygood foundation pledged a $2.5 million donation to the L.A. Fire Relief Fund to assist families in need. In addition, Regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida are renting out hotel rooms for displaced families and Hilton — whose Malibu home burned down live on TV — launched an emergency fund through her 11:11 Media Impact nonprofit to support families who’ve lost homes.
MusiCares and the Recording Academy launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, with a combined pledge of $1 million to kick off the effort. Anyone who has worked in the music industry for more than five years may qualify for immediate assistance, including up to $1,500 in financial aid and $500 in food vouchers.
For health alerts, evacuation updates and additional shelter information as the wildfire battle continues, go to L.A. County’s emergency website here. A number of organizations, listed here, are also offering help to those impacted by the wildfires, which began last Tuesday. Musicians and music industry professionals who are affected can get more details about assistance here.
See Dufresne-Smith’s post below.
Billboard Hot 100 hits and Coachella sets were never part of BigXthaPlug’s plans for himself. Growing up in Dallas, the 26-year-old with the deep, bellowing voice had gridiron dreams of playing in the NFL — and even at his Billboard photo shoot, he throws a football around and speaks of his success in the game’s terms.
BigX compares his industry journey to that of former quarterback Cam Newton, who starred at a junior college before becoming a Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn University and, eventually, an NFL MVP. “I basically just pulled a Cam Newton,” he states. “Instead of going through all the steps, I just went crazy at that [junior college] and could’ve damn near went to the league.”
Raymond Alva
This digital cover story is part of Billboard’s Genre Now package, highlighting the artists pushing their musical genres forward — and even creating their own new ones.
To rap fans, BigX’s story — his path from drug dealer to artist — isn’t foreign. “Pops” — the 6-foot-7 man with a massive frame just like BigX’s, who’s with his son in Los Angeles today — “had a trap house, and in the middle of that spot was a round wooden table and a mic,” BigX recalls of his first time in front of a microphone. “[Pops] was like, ‘Y’all n—s can’t rap. My son got more than y’all got.’ I was scoring on ’em, and I guess it was sounding good. He was like, ‘You good. You need to rap for real.’ ”
Four years ago, BigX signed with UnitedMasters, which he still calls the “best thing I could’ve did.” He credits his first manager — an uncle who essentially ran off after BigX paid him $20,000 upfront — for steering him toward maintaining his independence with the distributor.
BigX has stood out among hip-hop’s melodic-leaning mainstream with his soulful production and booming chopped-and-screwed flows that have drawn comparisons to The Notorious B.I.G. — and the past 12 months have been particularly crucial in his ascent. He earned his first Hot 100 entry in December 2023 when the groovy “Mmhmm” reached No. 63. In October, he opened up about his insecurities, pain and triumphs on his second album, Take Care, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
“I feel like for the past decade it’s been a lot of mumble rap. People not talking about nothing,” he says. “I’m talking about something. A lot of the older people who love music, that’s what they grew up on — actual substance. Here’s this young dude that sound old, but he on these young-old beats. I literally mixed everything up so everybody could love it.”
BigXthaPlug photographed December 4, 2024 at Electric Pony Studios in Los Angeles.
Raymond Alva
Raymond Alva
BigX’s in-house producer, Tony Coles, adds, “He has this sort of Martin Luther King Jr. element to him where it’s [a] preacher almost and his voice is very powerful, and you got the badass production behind it.”
Next up, BigX — who Shaboozey tapped for a feature on his 2024 album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going — will connect with his Texas roots for a country mixtape slated to arrive in 2025 and feature a star-studded guest lineup including Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Post Malone. “Post Malone, Luke Combs, all those guys,” BigX says. “They claim I’m their favorite rapper.”
This story appears in the Jan. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Billboard Cover Star and being named as the ‘Future of Hip-Hop,’ BigXthaPlug, is taking over. The rapper has risen with his Texas flare music, and he shares his journey of becoming a footballer to a rapper, his next move with country music, and more! BigXthaPlug: I feel like, for the first time in a long […]
Jackie Farry, a music industry veteran who served as tour manager for Elliot Smith and the Lemonheads in the 1990s and who was Frances Bean Cobain’s first nanny, died on Sunday (Jan. 12) of complications from lung disease. Farry’s death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by longtime friend manager/producer Janet Billig Rich.
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Farry’s career began in the 1980s when she served as a receptionist at Homestead Records, a beloved New York indie label whose roster included such beloved acts as Antietam, Babe the Blue Ox, The Meatmen, Tsunami, Volcano Suns and others. She moved on to gigs at Atlantic Records (1988-1989), Epic Records (1991-1992), where she worked in radio promotion, often with hard rock and metal bands.
She pivoted to working with Nirvana during the band’s heyday, serving as nanny to singer Kurt Cobain and wife Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean, until Cobain’s death in 1994. After working with a number of metal bands early in her career, she also hosted the short-lived MTV series Superock, which launched in 1995 as a replacement for the former video music channel’s beloved Headbangers Ball series.
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Later in the decade, Farry was a tour manager for a number of indie rock acts, including Stereolab, the Lemonheads, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Quasi and others.
According to THR, Farry was born Jacquelyn Beth Farry in New York and raised in the controversial Synanon community, which was initially established as drug rehab program before growing into a cult in which leaders allegedly controlled members using confrontational “attack therapy.”
“Jackie carried with her an incredible trove of memories and songs from those formative years,” Billig told THR. “Jackie’s love for music was matched only by her sharp wit, humor, and magnetic personality. She was a beacon for friends and strangers alike, drawing people in with her infectious energy. Jackie Farry’s legacy is one of love, laughter and an indomitable spirit. She will be deeply missed — her unforgettable stories, her humor and her impact on those who knew her will live on forever.”
Farry was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, with her many friends standing by her and organizing a series of “f–k cancer” benefit shows featuring bands including the Breeders, TV on the Radio and Guided By Voices. In honor of her longtime support of pit bull rescue, donations in Farry’s honor can be made to her charity of choice, LovePaws.
As the devastating California wildfires continue to rage across the Los Angeles area, Primus singer/bassist Les Claypool took to Instagram over the weekend to reveal that the band’s guitarist, Ler LaLonde, had lost his home.
“All that is left of our good friend Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde’s home,” Claypool wrote of the band’s longtime guitarist alongside a photo of a house reduced to ash, with just the remnants of a brick fireplace still standing. “When Mother Nature gets up on her hind legs, it can be brutal,” Claypool added. “My heart hurts for him and his family.”
The post included supportive responses from a number of fellow musicians, including former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who wrote, “Dang. Ler did not deserve this,” with singer Carina Round adding, “Oh my. So much love to them.”
LaLonde’s wife, Shane Stirling LaLonde, posted a series of pictures and videos of the fires that ravaged the family’s home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which has been almost completely destroyed by the Palisades fire, which is still raging. “Our home is gone, and so are the homes of every one of our friends and neighbors. I am still in shock, not quite sure what just happened. The first photo is the video confirmation we received that our home was lost. Ours is the second property with the tree still with oranges in the front yard but nothing else,” she wrote alongside a video of the destruction.
“We lost everything. It doesn’t sink in easily that you have nothing…. It’s still sinking in minute by minute. I know we are safe and yes I am grateful, but I can’t even begin to be close to grace yet as I can’t even comprehend this yet,” she added. “Not just the things, but our town, our community. We all no longer have a home, a neighborhood, a school,a community. I am gutted to the core.”
LaLonde is among the thousands of Angelenos who’ve lost everything during weeklong spate of out-of-control fires that have been fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, burning more than 38,000 acres so far (roughly 60 square miles) and destroying more than 12,000 homes and buildings. In addition, 24 people are confirmed dead and nearly 200,00 have been displaced to date, according to CNN.
A number of musicians and entertainment industry folks have spoken about the loss of their homes — including Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, Jhené Aiko, Paris Hilton, songwriter Diane Warren, Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith, The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag and many more — while others are stepping up to offer help.
On Monday (Jan. 13), Beyonce’s BeyGOOD foundation announced a $2.5 million donation to the L.A. Fire Relief Fund to assist families in need, while Regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida are renting out hotel rooms for displaced families. Hilton — whose Malibu home burned down live on TV — launched an emergency fund through her 11:11 Media Impact nonprofit to support families who’ve lost homes.
In addition, MusiCares and the Recording Academy launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, with a combined pledge of $1 million to launch the effort. Anyone who has worked in the music industry for more than five years may qualify for immediate assistance, including up to $1,500 in financial aid and $500 in food vouchers.
For health alerts, evacuation updates and additional shelter information as the wildfire battle continues, go to L.A. County’s emergency website here. A number of organizations, listed here, are also offering help to those impacted by the wildfires, which began last Tuesday. Musicians and music industry professionals who are affected can get more details about assistance here.
Bad Bunny’s new album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart (dated Jan. 18), with the largest streaming week for a Latin title in over a year.
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Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Streaming Albums chart, Lil Baby’s WHAM debuts at No. 3, while last week’s leader, SZA’s SOS, falls to No. 2.
Bad Bunny’s album was released on an off-cycle Sunday (Jan. 5), and, thus, it arrives on the chart with only five days of activity (as the chart’s tracking week runs Friday through Thursday every week). The album’s release date was announced on Dec. 25. The new Top Streaming Albums chart captures the tracking frame of Jan. 3-9.
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WHAM’s Friday, Jan. 3 release was announced by Lil Baby in late December.
The 50-position Top Streaming Albums chart ranks the most-streamed albums of the week in the U.S., as compiled by Luminate. Titles are ranked by streaming equivalent album (SEA) units, where each SEA unit equals 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. If an artist has multiple albums containing the same song, SEA units for that song are generally assigned to whichever album sells the most by traditional album sales in a given week. The new Jan. 18, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 7. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS launches at No. 1 with 113,500 SEA units earned in the week ending Jan. 9 in the U.S., according to Luminate. That sum equates to 152.16 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 17 songs – the largest streaming week for a Latin album in over a year. The last Latin set with a bigger streaming week was Bad Bunny’s previous release, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, when it launched at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums with 239.56 million on-demand official streams for its songs (Oct. 28, 2023-dated chart).
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS was preceded by a pair of entries from the album on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart: “EL CLúB” and “PIToRRO DE COCO.”
SZA’s SOS falls from No. 1 to No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums with 110,000 SEA units (down 12%, equaling 146.88 million on-demand official streams of its collected songs – across its standard and its SOS Deluxe: LANA editions). Meanwhile, Lil Baby’s WHAM arrives at No. 3 with 90,000 SEA units (equaling 119.77 million on-demand official streams of the 15 songs on the streaming edition of the album available during its first week).
Rounding out the rest of the top five on Top Streaming Albums, Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping GNX dips 2-4 (down 4%) and Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet moves 3-5 (down 6%).
Beyoncé‘s BeyGOOD Foundation has pledged $2.5 million to assist families in recovery from the devastating California wildfires. In an Instagram post on Sunday night (Jan. 12), the foundation announced the pledge to the L.A. Fire Relief Fund aimed at helping impacted Los Angelenos in the midst of one of the most destructive wildfires in the state’s history.
“The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires,” read the post, which encouraged followers to show their support for the impacted families by visiting the organization’s website.
The out-of-control fires that have been whipped up by near-hurricane force Santa Ana winds over the past week, scorching more than 38,000 acres so far (roughly 60 square miles) and destroying more than 12,000 homes and buildings while displacing nearly 200,000 and killing 24 to date, according to CNN. Experts expect the death toll to rise as firefighters and investigators move into burned areas. The New York Times reported that the Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed more than 6,500 buildings in Altadena/Pasadena, with entire neighborhoods completely wiped out by the fires that are expected to spread further this week as winds pick up again in area that has gotten only a fraction of an inch of rain in the past six months.
BeyGOOD is among the many organizations that have stepped up to help with immediate needs, joining the Walt Disney Company, which pledged $15 million to relief and rebuilding efforts, along with the Warner Music and Blavatnik Foundation’s $1 million pledge. Live Nation also announced that it is planning a FireAid benefit concert at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Jan. 30 to raise funds for relief.
A number of musicians and entertainment industry figures have spoken about the loss of their homes — including Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, Jhené Aiko, Paris Hilton, songwriter Diane Warren, The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag and many more — even as others step up to offer help.
Regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida are renting out hotel rooms for displaced families and Hilton — whose Malibu home burned down live on TV — has launched an emergency fund through her 11:11 Media Impact nonprofit to support families who’ve lost homes. In addition, MusiCares and the Recording Academy have launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, making a combined pledge of $1 million to launch the effort. Anyone who has worked in the music industry for more than five years may qualify for immediate assistance, including up to $1,500 in financial aid and $500 in food vouchers.
For health alerts, evacuation updates and additional shelter information as the wildfire battle continues, go to L.A. County’s emergency website here.
A number of organizations, listed here, are also offering help to those impacted by the wildfires, which began last Tuesday. Musicians and music industry professionals who are affected can get more details about assistance here.
See the BeyGOOD post below.
01/13/2025
There’s plenty of prospects to get excited about this year.
01/13/2025
Heidi Montag’s 2010 album Superficial has achieved an unexpected resurgence, surging to No. 1 on iTunes following a social media push by her husband, Spencer Pratt.
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The couple, who first found fame on the mid-2000s reality series The Hills, lost their home in the Pacific Palisades wildfire. Amid the tragedy, the pair turned to social media to share their journey and encourage fans to stream Montag’s music as a way to help them rebuild.
“Anyone that hasn’t gone to iTunes, just do it now. Let’s go to No. 1,” Pratt said last week on TikTok. “We’ll get the screenshot, she’ll be a famous pop star for when her kids are grown up. She’ll be in the history books,” Pratt said prior to Montag’s album surging to No. 1 on iTunes.
Trending on Billboard
“They won’t know it’s because our house burned down, and we have no possessions and people are just trying to support us. They’ll just be like, ‘Wow! My mom was a pop superstar that was No. 1 on the charts.’”
The campaign gained traction quickly, with support from fans and fellow celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Flavor Flav, who posted a TikTok of himself dancing to Montag’s track with the caption, “Doing my part to get Heidi to No. 1.”
Later, Pratt jubilantly shared on social media amid the news his wife’s album had surpassed Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos on iTunes. “Popstar Heidi Montag No. 1 on iTunes America! Thank you everyone! Who needs a house, who needs clothes, who needs anything but this level of clout, pop, superstardom? Our sons are gonna be like, ‘My mom was No. 1 on iTunes America.’ Thank you to everyone who made this happen.”
Pratt, who recently reached over one million followers on TikTok while sharing candid updates about the destruction of their home, has now set his sights on the Billboard charts.
“So I was just informed that for Heidi to get No. 1 on Billboard, we need all do it or Superficial to be on the radio. So anybody that has a radio station, you know, a radio station on social media you can tag, please ask them for the next week to play ‘I’ll Do It’ or Superficial from Heidi’s album,” Pratt said in one of his updates.
“We need radio play, I guess not just iTunes, to get No. 1 on Billboard charts, which is the ultimate goal, cause then it’s like, that’s a wrap. Heidi is the biggest superstar in the world, you know, obviously not Taylor Swift, but it’s like Taylor Swift, Heidi Montag.”
He joked about enlisting the help of Taylor Swift’s fanbase, saying, “I need all the Swifties back up. I mean, I really do need Taylor, you know, I think I’m gonna have to, you know, get out the bat phone and put the Swiftie light in the sky. Like, we need some Taylor Swift support here.”
In one candid update on TikTok, Pratt also spoke of the gravity of his family’s tragic loss in the Los Angeles wildfires which has seen the death toll rise to 24 as of Jan. 13. “Let’s be clear. If I seem like the most unhinged, crashing out person on this whole app, I am. Let’s just get that frickin’ clear. I have lost my mind,” he said.
“I am keeping it together here, ’cause I have two kids and I wanna frickin’ have them go to college and have a frickin’ life, okay? So this is crashing out at its finest, OK?”
In an earlier video after the family witnessed their home burn down in real-time via a security camera, Pratt said on TikTok, “I have been ‘faking it till you make it’ since 2007. Guess what? Faking it till you make it, doesn’t make it. Especially when everything burns down.”
Despite their situation, Pratt remains laser-focused on turning the iTunes success into Billboard charting glory, using every platform to rally supporters. “But yes, radio play, ‘I’ll Do It’ or ‘Superficial,’ those are the two that are charting. Please, please, please, anybody that knows any radio people, or message your radio station or call your radio station. Let’s make this happen!” he told his TikTok followers.
“We’ve got one week before this Billboard chart drops.”